Cricket
IPL 2022: Most expensive flops of the season so far
While many players went for bids above 5 crores earlier this year, some have failed to live up to the expectations.
Shivam Mavi (KKR) and Shahrukh Khan (PBKS) are among those who have been dropped from their team's playing XI after attracting high bids in the pre-season auction. (IPL)
With the IPL 2022 season reaching its halfway mark, certain teams and players have come under scrutiny for not living up to their expectations. We take a look at a few players who have failed to live up to their massive price tags from the mega-auction.
Shahrukh Khan
9 crores to Punjab Kings
Sharukh Khan has been touted to be a potentially match-winning lower order batter but he has failed to make a mark. PBKS beat off competition for him from CSK and KKR to get him for 9 crore, making him one of the most expensive uncapped Indian players.
But the Tamil Nadu star has not performed well so far - managing only 98 runs from 7 matches - with a high score of just 26. With the Punjab middle-order having made it a habit to blast missiles out of the park, their uncapped Indian has been in the shadows. He was dropped for PBKS' last match.
Shardul Thakur
10.75 crores to Delhi Capitals
Shardul Thakur, the medium-pacer who can be more than handy with the bat as recent years have shown, has not yet found his best form under Rishabh Pant's captaincy. Having raised expectations with his performances for CSK and India, his IPL 2022 figures make for dismal reading at the moment.
Having played all of DC's 7 matches so far, Shardul has only taken 4 wickets and has so far conceded 224 runs at an economy of close to 10 and an average over 50. With the bat too, he has not yet showed what makes him dangerous. He has scored a total of 80 runs, with the highest score of 29 coming against KKR.
Tim David
8.25 crores to Mumbai Indians
The first-ever player from Singapore to be selected in the IPL went for 8.25 crore. David is known for his explosive batting and has a strike rate of 159.36 in 90 matches. His sixes have known to require the hard hats to be brought out in multiple T20 cricket leagues around the world.
However, Tim David has been one of MI's expensive failed experiments so far. He scored 12 and 1 in the two matches he was included in the playing XI for, before being benched.
Shivam Mavi
7.25 crores to Kolkata Knight Riders
The hero from the 2018 Under-19 World Cup was bought back by KKR for 7.25 crores as they continued to show faith in the fast bowler. However, despite showing Mavi has not dropped any bit of his searing pace, his lack of control has remained an issue.
He has been included in the XI in four scattered matches so far, in which he has taken 4 wickets and given away 144 runs at an economy of more than 10 per over. His former teammate Kamlesh Nagarkoti has not fared much better for DC either, but KKR stopped bidding on him at 1 crore while they went much higher up for Mavi.
Venkatesh Iyer
8 crore retention by Kolkata Knight Riders
Having gone for 8 crores, much was expected from the second Iyer in the KKR team - especially given his mercurial rise over the last year. However, he has been a shadow of his former self, struggling to connect bat with ball even as KKR have struggled to find the batting position he is most suited to.
Venkatesh Iyer has only scored one-half century in 8 matches and has taken no wickets. He has a total of 126 runs in 8 matches - a far cry from his form in 2021 where he scored 370 runs in 10 matches.
(Dis)honourable mentions
Ruturaj Gaikwad
6 crore retention by CSK
He was deemed to be a great retention worth 6 crore by CSK ahead of the 2022 IPL season. However, Gaikwad has scored just one-half century and has been part of the CSK team that has lost 6 matches till now. Hopes are still high for him to get back to his usual hard hitting self having witnessed some consistency in his scores in the opening 8 matches of the IPL.
Ishan Kishan
15.25 crores to Mumbai Indians
The most expensive buy of the IPL season went for 15.25 crores during the auctions. He also started the season on an explosive note, but things haven't been as good since. Mumbai have failed to win a match yet and Ishan Kishan has only scored 2 half-centuries in 8 matches.
Moeen Ali
8 crore retention by CSK
Entering his 5th consecutive season in the IPL, one would expect Moeen Ali to lead the team with experience. The 8 crore retention has so far not been performing exceptionally with the bat or ball. He has scored 1 half-century in 5 matches and has a total of 87 runs with an average of 17. He has taken 0 wickets having given away 68 runs in 48 balls.
